The 29th State!

That’s settled then. We will no longer have Andhra Pradesh, but Telangana and Seemandhra! Before I go on any further, let me warn you that this is not a political piece about the rightness or wrongness of the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh[1], but a truly emotional piece by a twenty-something female who grew up in what is now be called Telangana.

I hate the idea of erasing history and replacing it with something else. It is quite reminiscent of 1984, where memories fade and records were altered. No, I am not saying things are THAT bad. All I am saying is, I feel that way. I grew up in Andhra Pradesh. In Karimnagar distict. However, from today, I no longer lived in Andhra Pradesh, but Telangana. I grew up in a state where Chandrababu Naidu was the Chief Minister and stood in awe as I watched him arrive on certain occasions for a function in our township. I remember the time when the 32nd Asian Games were held in Hyderabad, following which it went on to host the 1st (and only) Afro-Asian Games. So, as far as my personal history goes, Andhra Pradesh is where I grew up, and the bifurcation would only go on to erase that and replace it with something else.

From the time the Srikrishna Committee Report came out, I have been fervently hoping that the Congress would not act upon their previous election policies (How often do we have to pray in this country, for that to come true?). But they did deliver their promise, and how (by voice votes, while there was a blackout of Lok Sabha TV)! All in all, thanks to some politicians and their vote banks, the next time I go back to the only place I stuck around long enough to call my home, it would be in a whole new State.

And then there is the one petty reason. When I look back at my childhood and think of my Telugu friends, they generally seem to be from the Seemandhra Region. And, with all the experts and academicians stating that bifurcation could spell doom for the Seemandhra Region, I am only more inclined to feel cheated by the formation of the 29th state. Further, it seems like I might not be the only one feeling this heart-broken (albeit, these people have a more genuine concern).

However, as THE HINDU editorial column today says, I shall try to look at the formation of the 29th State as ‘a historic opportunity’ and move on with my life hoping that, this is that exceptional case where the erasing of my history led to something positive (and not worry about the fact that I will have to check a different page now, on THE HINDU’s website for news on this region!).